A special military court in Maiduguri, found the soldier guilty and subsequently dismissed him.

The soldier was reported to have raped, Zara Ali, while she and her friends were out searching for firewood at the outskirts of Maiduguri.

Due to harsh conditions at the camps, most of the displaced persons fend for themselves especially in the area of cooking meals.

The victim was on an errand to help her family prepare the day’s meal when the soldier raped her.

The officer will have to serve a jail term as soon as a superior military authority approves his sentence.

According to the ruling of the President of the court, Maj. Gen.Yakubu Auta, Enwerem, was found guilty in all the three-count charge brought against him.

He was charged with “defiling, assault and disobedience of standing order.”

“This special court marshal at this moment sentence(s) you, Flight Lieutenant M.I Enwerem, NAF 5771 as follows: Count one; dismissed from the armed forces, reduction in rank from Flight Lieutenant to Flight Officer; three years loss of seniority on the new rank…”

According to the summary of the trial as delivered by the Court Martial Judge Advocate, Aminu Mairuwa, the accused “defiled a 14 year IDP on September 29, 2018,” and was brought before the tribunal on three-count charges of defiling, assault and disobedience of standing order.”

“The accused, (who) was on a special patrol in Dalwa unit was said to have seen the victim, Zara Ali and her friends, who went to fetch firewood.

“On sighting them, he ordered his soldiers to arrest them, accusing them of being suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers, and asked them to lie down, despite, not finding anything incriminating.

”During the body search of the teenage females, the accused officer chose one of the girls, whom he may have been sexually attracted to and dragged her into the bush.

“He dragged the victim into the bush and inserted his hands in her vagina where his eventuality defiled and assaulted the victim,” said the official.